Panthers basketball team start pre-season campaign

Feb. 18, 2014, midnight

The Penrith Panthers senior men's basketball team will begin their 2014 Waratah Championship League pre-season campaign tonight (Tuesday, February 18) when they take on the imposing Northern Suburbs Bears at 7.30pm at SCEGGS (Military Road, Cremorne).

Panthers basketball team start pre-season campaign

Veteran Emlyn Dodd is one of three Blue Mountains players in this year's Panthers squad (photo courtesy of Noel Rowsell - photoexcellence.com.au)

Former Panther and veteran NBL journeyman Ben Knight will lead the Bears again this season and has been keeping in great form by playing in the Ultimate Basketball League (UBL).
Knight also has two other former Penrith players in his coaching panel, being Travis Lane and Kyle Cox.

Incoming Penrith head coach John Hennessy will obviously rely heavily on his two key players, being Louis Brandt (Springwood) and Ben Kearins, who are both benefitting from intense training sessions as Development Players with the Sydney Kings NBL franchise.
Neither player has been getting court time during the current NBL season but the experience gained by those regular training sessions with the full Kings squad will see both players step out as more skilful players in 2014.

Former Springwood Scorchers big man Jarrod Sorenson (Springwood) is the latest addition to the Panthers squad.
Sorenson has already represented New Zealand on the international stage but this will be his first season in the WCL.

Emlyn Dodd (Glenbrook) is the third player from the Blue Mountains in the Panthers squad and is the most senior of the local trio.